Huan Rong

Qin Jing arrived in Yandu for three days, met with Shi Shao every day, and had several long talks, trying to persuade him to return to the Northland and join Qin's Wubao.

This move is also a last resort.

Qin's Wubao has strong soldiers and horses, recruits a large number of refugees, and has reached a deal with Murong Liang to replace people with pearls. The source of troops and population will definitely become more and more abundant.As the population increases, the food shortage will also increase.

There is no shortage of brave generals in Wubao, and many counselors who are proficient in the art of war, but there is a lack of internal affairs and economic talents.

The patriarch of the Qin family is thirsty for talents, so he wished he could go into battle in person and search for talents everywhere.

However, the conditions are limited, and those who are famous will either travel south with the Jin family and be recruited by the high-ranking nobles, or they will be taken away by the Hu people, life and death are unpredictable.Those who have no reputation, no matter whether they have real talents or not, if they hide among the mountains, they will immediately sink into the ocean like water, and there is no way to find them.

As early as the Xiankang period, the Qin family began to recruit the Shi family, but due to various reasons, they were unable to do so.

In the following decades, the Qin family and the Shi family have maintained correspondence.Moved by Qin's sincerity, Shi once helped Qin to buy grain in the south.Today, most of the captains of Qin's merchant ships are trained by Shi's help.

After years of hard work, the distance between the two families became closer and closer. When Emperor Ai of Jin came to power, Shi Shao's father finally nodded and agreed to move his family to Xihe County.

One is the Qin family's perseverance for many years, and the other is that the Xianbei people and the Di people are staring at Shi's fat meat, and they will eat it sooner or later.Joining the Qin family can always save the family, but it is hard to say what will happen if it falls into the hands of the Hu people.

Discovering the Xianbei cavalry who frequently appeared near the house, and remembering what happened to his old friends, the head of the Shi family made up his mind and sent someone to send a letter to Qin's Wubao, hoping that the latter would send servants to escort the whole family to Xihe County.

It's a pity that people's calculations are not as good as heaven's calculations, before the letter arrived in Xihe County, begging Xianbei to strike first, Shi's family suffered a catastrophe.

When Shi Shao talked with Qin Jing, he detailed how the whole family was imprisoned by Xianbei, and said that if he and his elder brother hadn't gritted their teeth and were driven by Xianbei, the family would not have survived for a few months, let alone waited for Xianbei's civil strife, and took the opportunity to join the sheep slaves. flee.

"The abducted Han people were all locked in the sheepfold, working during the day, and relying on livestock to keep warm at night. The men can still survive, but the experience of the women is even worse."

"Hu people are bloodthirsty, and the number of Han family members who died under the sword of Hu people is unknown."

"The servant was under the tent of the begging leader. I saw that the former high gate was robbed by the barbarians, and the family was destroyed overnight. The Wubao built by the refugees was breached, the people in the fort were slaughtered, and the houses were all burned. Not scattered."

"During this trip to the south, my family suffered an accident, and my parents, brother and sister-in-law all disappeared. Fortunately, Mr. Huanfu rescued me so that I could save my life and my only blood relative."

Having said that, Shi Shao's expression became more and more serious.

"Having received such a great favor, it is reasonable to form a grass-roots ring and repay it with all your heart. Shao does not forget the righteousness of the Qin family, and he is grateful for the respect and respect of the nobles. However, he does not repay his kindness. How can he stand between heaven and earth, and how dare he call him a husband?"

Shi Shao's expression was firm, without any wavering in his tone.It showed with practical actions that no matter what Qin Jing said, he would not go to the Northland.

"Jingde has decided?"

"Yes." Shi Shao cupped his hands and said, "Mr. Qin Lang, please forgive me."

Qin Jing shook her head and sighed secretly.

If the cow doesn't drink water, you can't press the cow's head by force.It is true that the Qin family lacks talents, but Shi Shao made up his mind not to return to the north, and stayed in Yandu wholeheartedly, so he couldn't tie him back.

This is not the Qin family's way of doing things, and if it is spread out, it will be criticized by the world.

"Jingde is a true husband."

"I'm ashamed, I don't deserve the praise of my lord."

After the matter was revealed, Qin Jing harbored regrets, but admired Shi Shao's character even more.In the same way, he was also a little more curious about Huan Rong who could make Shi Shao die.

At first, I only thought that this young man was straightforward and had the style of a scholar in Qin and Han Dynasties.Looking at it now, there must be more excellence in his character, words and deeds, and it is indeed worth paying attention to.

"Jingde has no intention of returning to the north, and I don't want to stay in the south for a long time."

The Di people and the Xianbei people fought fiercely, and it was not absolutely safe for Qin's Wubao to be sandwiched between the two, and many considerations had to be made.

"After returning to the Northland, I will report to my family about respecting virtue. Jingde can send people to the north at any time. If you can help, the Qin family will definitely not refuse."

"Thank you."

Shi Shao smiled sincerely, and spent a lot of effort, waiting for this sentence!

"Mr. Qin Lang doesn't mind, we have something to discuss now."

"What's the matter?" Qin Jing asked.

"I know that the north has encountered drought locusts, and the grain production has dropped sharply. Because of the battle between the Di people in Xianbei Hutong for several months, many trade routes have been blocked. Even if there are Tuyuhun and other Fan merchants trading goods, it is still a drop in the bucket, making up less than half of the shortfall."

Qin Jing didn't speak, and put her hands on her lap, waiting for Shi Shao to say the following.

"This year Yandu has a bumper crop of rice, and the salt output from the salt field is higher than in previous years, and the price has dropped by [-]%." Seeing Qin Jing raising his eyebrows, Shi Shao clearly understood what he meant, and Shi Shao smiled, and said, "I don't know if my lord intends to do this Business?"

Qin Jing twisted her fingers twice, her eyes narrowed slightly, she weighed the pros and cons, she didn't rush to nod or shake her head, but asked, "Is this the meaning of respecting virtue?"

"Your Majesty also has this intention," Shi Shao said.

After deliberating for a moment, Qin Jing nodded.

"Okay." People can't take it back, and it can be considered as compensation if they can open up a new business route.

"Lang Jun agreed?"

"Salt and food are all necessary things in the castle, and the price of salt is low, why shouldn't Jing?"

Having initially decided on a cooperation intention, Shi Shao invited Qin Jing to go to the back hall to discuss the matter with Huan Rong.

Yandu has been designated as Huanrong Food City, and the taxes and grains of thousands of households are put into the county treasury.With the downfall of the tyrants in the county, the salt pavilions were taken back one after another, and the salt produced increased month by month. Except for the quota shipped to Jiankang, the rest was disposed of by Huan Rong.

Food aside, the accumulated salt alone is enough for Huan Rong to make a fortune.

Huan Rong was quite pleasantly surprised when he learned that Shi Shao was not planning to return to the north to change jobs.Knowing that he and Qin Jing had reached a deal, the surprise doubled in an instant.After hearing the quantity of goods requested by Qin Jing and the price given, Huan Rong was in a state of "bewildered".

"Using gold for food?"

"Silk cloth is also acceptable."

Gudong.

Huan Rong swallowed, his delicate Adam's apple rolled up and down, and his head felt a little hot.After calming down a little, I thought again, the price of food is higher than that of Jin land, and it is exchanged for gold, isn't this a good thing?

You can have pies from the sky, but what kind of fillings are wrapped in the pies, and whether there are teeth-cracking stones hidden in them, you must not take it lightly until you find out.

"Brother Qin, do you have any requirements?"

"Indeed." Qin Jing nodded and said, "I want to make a contract with Brother Rong to transport grain from July to September every year, and the salt boat will go north from Yandu in March without going through Jiankang."

"Not through Jiankang?" Huan Rong's heart skipped a beat, and he glanced at Shi Shao from the corner of his eye.The latter nodded slightly, indicating that he could agree to the condition without hesitation.

"The ship's Jiankang needs to pass through the Jingkou, and then pass through the canal, and then pass through the large and small Tianjin ports. Every time it is processed, the goods or silk cloth must be paid. The grain ship is taxed at [-]%, and the salt ship is taxed at [-]%. It only passes through three fence gates. , the cost will be much higher.”

Huan Rong blinked, looked at Shi Shao with a shrewd face, and then at Qin Jing who should be like this, suddenly felt that the natives had a dark belly, and that he, a traveler, was too innocent.

It is obvious that he is being urged to evade taxes, and he is evading so confidently, is there really no problem?

Seeing Huan Rong's discomfort, Shi Shao smiled.

"You don't need to be like this. Jinkou is called the imperial court, and it is actually controlled by the high-ranking nobles. Only [-]% of the business tax and road fees collected each year go to the national treasury. The prince took over the salt pavilion and is willing to pay salt to the court. This is already a supplement. Its tax, no one will use it to instigate attacks."

In short, checkpoints were set up in the name of the imperial court, and most of the business taxes collected fell into the pockets of noble families.

Huan Rong paid taxes honestly, but it only enriched the pockets of the Jiankang gentry, and it didn't fall into the court's pocket at all, and he would be fooled by jokes.Instead of being taken advantage of and giving money to others, it is better to go another way, avoid Jinkou in a fair and honest way, and change to a tribute salt boat to enter Beijing, and the treasury can still have some credit.

If you want to make profits for the people, you can go to the imperial court and ask the emperor to allow you to send state officials to Beijing, set up a small market every two months, and sell salt to the people at a low price.

"I have never been healthy, and I have heard about the cities in the city." Shi Shao said earnestly, "Your Majesty cares about the country and the people, and I admire you very much."

Huan Rong: "..."

He just mentioned the issue of paying taxes, why did he suddenly turn to worrying about the country and the people?Is it because the ancients were too good at making up brains, or there are countless generation gaps between each other for more than 1000 years?

Thinking about it carefully, the Eastern Jin Dynasty was really a wonderful dynasty.

The emperor and the gentry were on the same level, the salt and iron were controlled by the gentry, the emperor did not mint coins, and the charging gates were not set up by the court.Relying on Chinese orthodoxy to block the Hu people in the north, and even won the battle of Feishui, it is unimaginable to change to the feudal dynasty of later generations.

Now, I have also joined the ranks of the powerful and become a member of the gentry who bullied the emperor. Should it be said that this is the first step towards success?

In the end, Huan Rong was persuaded by Shi Shao and agreed to Qin Jing's request. The grain ship and salt ship set off directly from Yandu, passed through Sheyang to Huaiyin, and then traveled west along the Huai River to Ruyin County, turning north, passing through Qin's At the junction of Wubao and Murong Xianbei, change land and go straight to Luozhou.

While speaking, Shi Shao spread out a pen and paper, and drew a rough topographical map.The counties and counties of the water flow are drawn in great detail, and several counties and counties along the river are specially marked to facilitate the passage of merchant ships.If you can get it in your hands, it would be better to set up a Wubao stronghold.

Huan Rong was speechless.

At any rate, he is also the county magistrate of Yandu, an official ordered by the emperor himself.Is it really okay to discuss land division in front of him?Forget about the territory of Xianbei and Di people.The key point is that a small number of counties and counties pointed out by Shi Shao are in the Eastern Jin Dynasty.

After the whole picture was completed and the ink was dried, Qin Jing couldn't help but nodded, admiring Shi Shao's talent.

Huan Rong frowned.

In his view, such drawings are still abstract.

Considering that he wanted to establish a long-term cooperative relationship with Qin Jing, he always had to show one or two hole cards, Huan Rong took another pen, and drew according to Shi Shao's drawings.It is no longer just a few branches and a few circles, it looks more intuitive.

"Fu Jun is a great talent!" Shi Shao said in amazement, he readily put away his handwriting and directly used the map drawn by Huan Rong.

After carefully looking at the water features and topography and the distribution of counties and counties on the map, Qin Jing raised his head to look at Huan Rong, with a flash of light in his eyes.

"Brother Rong has been here?"

"Never." Huan Rong shook his head, and directly threw out Xi Chao, "Under the curtain of your family, Mr. Xi Shen has great talent, Rong Zeng learned from him, and barely learned a little bit."

"Brother Rong is too modest." Qin Jing's smile continued, "Jing has something to ask, can Brother Rong agree?"

"If you draw a map of the North, I'm afraid you can't agree to Brother Qin."

Huan Rong refused without hesitation.Today is different from the past, with territory in hand, talents around, confidants and guards being cultivated, naturally speaking with confidence.

What's more, he showed his hole card to catch Qin Jing and increase his bargaining chips.Immediately satisfy the other party's wishes, how can we match and bargain in future business?

Hooked?

A thought flashed by, and Huan Rong was stunned for two seconds.

There seems to be something wrong with this word?

"Brother Rong has any scruples?"

"It's not because of scruples." Huan Rong explained, "Rong has never been to the Northland, nor has he seen a similar map, so there is nothing he can do. If he can go to the Northland in the future, maybe he can help Brother Qin."

"This statement makes sense, but I'm impatient." Qin Jing didn't force her, but changed the subject and said, "Brother Rong and I are very close friends, and when Brother Rong goes north, Jing will sweep the couch to meet him."

Looking at the smiling Qin Jing, and looking down at the grasped wrist, Huan Rong suddenly found that the personality of this beauty seemed to be different from the impression, or it should be said that there was a big gap.

The two sides reached an agreement to set the quantity and price of grain and salt to be transported for two years, and Shi Shao wrote the contract.

Today's world is unstable, wars happen anytime and anywhere, and natural disasters occur frequently, so food prices will naturally fluctuate.For example, at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty when rebels invaded Chang'an, the price of a dendrobium of beans and wheat reached 20 renminbi, and the price of grains reached 50 renminbi.The food prices in the Eastern Jin Dynasty would not be so exaggerated, but the rise is also quite scary.

The two-year period was decided by Huan Rong, in order to show Qin Jing that he is an honest person and will not raise prices indiscriminately in a short period of time.According to Shi Shao's request, one year would be too much.

The deed was finalized and carved into bamboo slips in official script, with Huan Rong and Qin Jing each keeping a copy.

Five days later, the first batch of salt ships will go north with Qin Jing, and the news cannot be hidden from Jiankang.

"Qin Jing's trip is only for city salt?"

Leaving aside the southern gentry, Murong Chui was still not at ease when he heard the news, so he sent someone to inform the ship merchant that next time he went to Jiankang City, he might as well go east to Qiao County to find out the details of Yandu.

Huan Rong didn't know that trouble was brewing, watching the bags of salt being transported onto the wooden boat, and the gold with the boat being delivered to the county government, he couldn't help but sigh in his heart, with such wealth and power, could it be that the Qin family has gold mines in their hands?

Guessing what he was thinking, Qin Jing said: "A few days ago, I traded with Murong Xianbei and got hundreds of gold."

Trading with Murong Xianbei?

Huan Rong became more and more curious, raised his head slightly, like a raccoon cat with wide eyes.

Qin Jing watched it interestingly, explained the cause and effect clearly, and emphasized that it was thanks to the pearls given to him by Huan Rong that Murong Liang was moved and more people were added to Wubao.

"Thank you brother Rong."

"Don't dare." Huan Rong blushed a little.

Qin Jing's smile became more and more sincere, and in a few words, he went back to Beishang Tutu and other matters. Huan Rong was almost taken into a ditch, so he braked suddenly and didn't nod on the spot.

In retrospect, dealing with the ancients should not be taken lightly, otherwise you will suffer a big loss sooner or later.And Qin Jing's character is not only cold and upright, but also two extremes, black to the bone!